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On Sunday a lawyer, his wife and their son were shot dead when gangsters raided their home in Wemmel in Flemish Brabant. The son's girl friend was seriously injured in the attack.

The son's girl friend was rushed to hospital, but is not in a critical condition.

The gangsters were able to make their get away.

Following the raid the police issued a blanket ban on the release of all further information in the interest of the investigation. Police and public prosecutors are investigating the murderous attack. They released the first details at a news conference on Monday.

The public prosecutor’s office says that two callers rang the bell at the lawyer’s home on Sunday evening. They are believed to have had an appointment in connection with the purchase of a car. What happened next is the subject of an investigation.

The son's Turkish girlfriend was seriously injured, but was able to describe the attackers to the police. Based on her description, the attackers were apparently Moroccan. The three other victims were all shot in the head: Lawyer Michel De Vleeschouwer (57), his wife Françoise Grinders (48) and their only son Nicolas (21). (NL, NL)

It is still unclear what the motive was for the triple murder. What looked like a violent homejacking at first, could be more complicated. According to press reports, some relatives or friends of the Turkish fiancee were not happy with the upcoming marriage. The son is reported to have received threats via sms.